


Assimilation and Absconding

by butyoumight



Series: Shuffling Your Deck of Trick Cards [4]
Category: Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dubious Consent, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-06
Updated: 2011-06-06
Packaged: 2017-10-20 05:03:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/209026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/butyoumight/pseuds/butyoumight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>"But see? They escaped with their lives. Pretty good of me, eh? Now, honorably, that properly entitles me to your life, doesn't it? Wasn't that the deal?" </i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Assimilation and Absconding

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers for Episode 15. Alternate Universe as of Episode 16.

The cell was stifling in its loneliness. Joe sat on the small bench set into the wall with his head between his knees, fingers hopelessly tangled in his hair. Basco had seen to it that the chains had been removed. Joe didn't imagine for a minute that this was because Basco trusted him in the slightest. No, they both knew full well that Joe simply didn't have an ounce of fight left in him. His fury and hate burned with the intensity of a dying star, but as the hours slipped away, it collapsed in on itself like the same, became a black hole of sucking pain and guilt.

He'd failed them. There was no doubt in his mind that Zangyack had got there first, had caught them, had probably slaughtered them still bound in chains. This sacrifice he'd made had been pointless, and he was sure in that moment that he deserved whatever, any and everything Basco had planned for him. He didn't deserve merciful death. He had to suffer first.

Joe looked up to find Basco looking at him through the bars, a curious little smile on his face, his head tilted to one side. Joe feels a chill run down his spine, and he realizes he's already becoming accustomed to Basco, already able to sense his presence.

"You're very upset, blue-chan?"

He's especially already getting used to the stupid nickname Basco insisted on. Joe dropped his head. Basco made an odd sound, odd at least coming from him. Joe had heard that very sound before, all discomforted and unhappy. Don sounded like that very often. Joe didn't know Basco was capable of expressing any such attributes. He didn't believe Basco was seriously concerned with his mental state, but he was a master of manipulation, and an amazing performer.

"May I come in, blue-chan?" Basco asked sweetly, brushing one of the cell's bars with his long fingers, his eyes darting around as he strained for any glance of Joe's face behind his hair. "Will you hurt me if I do? I'd really rather not wait until you're half-dead from starvation to clean you up."

Joe lifted his head, confusion plain all across his features. Basco rolled his eyes. "What, blue-chan, you think I wanted to torture you? Don't be foolish. Now, may I come in?"

Joe clasped his hands between his knees and sat back. "It's your ship."

Basco shrugged. "True enough." The cell opened, and Basco entered slowly, one hand beneath his shawl, no doubt poised to draw his gun should Joe prove to be a threat. Joe found he didn't even want to hurt Basco any more. He realized on one level that this was probably unhealthy, and definitely unsafe. But he had made a deal. He had offered Basco his life in exchange for his friends' freedom. Basco might have honored the deal only in spirit, but Joe was too proud, too reckless. He would stand by their bargain. What choice did he have?

Basco stopped just in front of Joe, watching him carefully for a moment. He reached forward, pushed Joe's hair back from his face. Joe didn't move. Basco sighed. "This isn't much better, you know. I'd almost rather you were defiant. You were more fun." Basco's hand moved, picked up the necklace from where it dangled against Joe's chest. Joe stiffened as Basco examined it, baring his teeth.

Basco glanced up, one eyebrow lifting in a slight surprise at the look on Joe's face. "What is it?"

"Please don't touch that." Joe requested quietly. "Do what you want, take what you want, but please don't take that from me."

Basco tugged on the necklace once and then released it. It thumped heavily against Joe's chest again, right where it belonged, and Joe realized he'd been holding his breath.

"It was a gift, wasn't it?" Basco asked. His voice was oddly serious. Joe looked up, met Basco's eyes. Something was happening, and Joe felt as though he was in a free-fall just then. "From Marvey-chan."

Joe blinked back sudden tears, averted his eyes. He couldn't think about why Basco would know that. It was too painful.

"Tch." Basco patted Joe's cheek gently, "It's alright, blue-chan. I won't take your pretty bauble. Take your coat off." His slightly mocking tone doesn't change from the start to the end of the sentence, and it takes Joe a moment to realize that Basco was asking him to do something.

No, not asking. Commanding.

Joe leaned back, pressed his shoulder blades against the wall. Basco stood up, crossing his arms. "Now you fight me?"

"Why?"

Basco rolled his eyes, shook his head. "Because I'd like to see what I've got. Because you're probably wounded, and as a prisoner I didn't mind but now you're a _pet_ and I'm concerned about your well being. Because I _said so_ , blue-chan, and I would really rather not force you."

Joe considered his options. It took less than a second. He had no more options. As difficult as it was to simply obey his Captain's greatest nemesis, he had no other choice. He stood up, rolled his shoulders, and then shrugged out of his jacket. He folded it carefully before setting it down on the bench.

Turning back to look up at Basco with folded arms, he lifted his chin in the face of Basco's approving nod. Basco plucked at the hem of Joe's plain shirt with his fingers, one eyebrow and the matching corner of his mouth turning up at the same time.

"I'm not wounded." Joe growled softly.

Basco sighed. "I'll be the judge of that. Don't make me tear it off you, blue-chan. I doubt I have anything in your size to replace it."

Joe edged as far away from Basco as the bench would allow, carefully pulling his shirt off over his head. This too he folded, placed with his jacket.

Basco's hands were on him before he could turn back, holding him still with a grip on his shoulder as his fingers trailed around his ribs. Joe craned his neck to try and watch the progress of Basco's possessive touch. A thick band of bruises around his middle marked where Basco's chains had cut into him, defined nearly to the point of each link being discernable in the places where Basco had kicked him. "This is my fault, of course. You bruise easily, blue-chan."

Joe turned his head away again. "I hope you don't expect me to take that as a compliment."

Basco's grip on his shoulder strengthened, he shoved Joe back and around until his head and shoulders hit the wall again. Joe gasped when one of Basco's hands settled at his throat, holding him still but not quite constricting. The threat was there, though.

Basco's fingers stroked his chest. Joe shivered slightly, trembling against the wall, but even as Basco's hand moved greedily over his chest, pausing at his every small scar, Joe noticed Basco's fingers purposefully avoiding his necklace, even the chain. Skirting around it. It was a tender gesture, appreciated but certainly confusing, coming from Basco.

"Where'd this come from?" Basco asked, trailing one finger along the largest of his scars, thin and faded as all the rest were, but nearly a foot long.

"Training." Joe answered shortly, averting his eyes. Basco's fingers splayed on his chest briefly, straddling the scar.

"That's a pity." When Joe didn't question him, Basco leaned close, shifting his grip on Joe's throat purposefully to draw his attention. His free hand moved up, pushing Joe's hair back, running a thumb over his hairline. "And you have a scar here."

"Battle."

Basco smiled. "Oh, blue-chan, you are a _delight_." He seemed ready to say more, but somewhere on his person a tune played. A call. Basco's face took on a look of such pure annoyance that so contrasted with his usual trickster smile that Joe would have sat down in sheer shock if not for Basco's hand around his neck. Obviously Basco was not used to being called, he seemed to prefer doing the calling.

He twirled away from Joe, crossed the cell to lean against the bars, keeping his eyes on Joe even as he answered the call.

"What?" Basco snapped. Joe watched him carefully, sitting down on the edge of the bench and crossing his arms.

"Yeah, so? This is my fault? I practically gift wrapped them for you, old man. Don't blame me because you've been underestimating Marvelous since you arrived to take this backwater planet."

Joe's heart fluttered weakly in his chest. Marvelous, Marvelous was still alive.

"Well, they're still mostly unarmed, so honestly I can't imagine you're even calling me to complain. You are wasting my time, and your time too. I don't particularly care what the Prince wants, old man, I'm not working for him. I'm not even working for _you_."

Joe found he had tears in his eyes suddenly, he leaned forward to hide his face from Basco. They were alive. Marvelous had saved them all. Of course, of course he had. Joe hadn't ever really doubted him, not for a minute.

"Hey, I don't recall making any promises to you, and we certainly didn't have a deal. I did you a favor. And I'm not even asking for payment, so you should be pleased. Why do you care what I want? A better deal came my way, old man, that's all there is to tell. Good-bye." Basco hung up, but not before even Joe could hear the old tactician on the other end yelling.

Basco heaved a heavy sigh, then turned around. "Sally! Set a course out of system!"

Joe looked up. "What?"

Basco looked over his shoulder, and then he smiled. It wasn't a particularly happy smile, but Joe was beginning to think that Basco wasn't really capable of frowning,even if he was angry or upset.

"You can't have been seriously entertaining thoughts of rescue or escape, blue-chan?"

Joe looked away. He hadn't been, not really, but the thought of leaving this system, leaving Earth, of leaving Marvelous and the crew behind hadn't occurred to him.

"There's too much trouble in this system right now. Best for guys like me to lay low at times like this. You'll learn, blue-chan. But see? They escaped with their lives. Pretty good of me, eh? Now, honorably, that properly entitles me to your life, doesn't it? Wasn't that the deal?"

Joe looked up, met Basco's eyes. Basco slipped out of the cell slowly, but kept his gaze matched to Joe's. Waiting.

Joe looked away first. "Yes."

The cell closed. Basco leaned against the bars. Tapped them with his long fingers. "I have a name, blue-chan."

The irony of that statement was not lost on Joe. "Yes, Basco."


End file.
